2021 RETA Breeze Nov/Dec

All RETA Practice Tests give candidates experience with the same types of questions that appear in their full CARO, CIRO or CRST exams. RETA exams for credentialing operators and technicians are designed to be challenging as part of its mission to protect the health and safety of operators, other employees in the facilities where they work, and the public. CARO and CIRO have been ANSI-accredited since 2008. RETA is working toward adding CRST to its ANSI-accredited credentialing programs. RETA’s Certification Committee (CertComm) validates every credentialing test question, including those on practice tests. Every question is supported by at least one RETA reference. CertComm also reviews performance data for each exam annually. CertComm members have an average of over 20 years of refrigeration experience. Questions in all RETA practice tests and full credentialing exams measure knowledge and skills in industrial refrigeration specified in surveys of experienced operators, managers and technicians at each level. Each question includes three plausible wrong answers and one BEST answer. CertComm validation reviews confirm that each question includes only one correct answer. Wrong answers in RETA credentialing exams often reflect misunderstood concepts in a question or common errors while using formulas or reading pressure-temperature tables that are in references that appear next to questions in each RETA test. Candidates must read the question and all four answers carefully before selecting the BEST answer. Failing candidates often take too little time to consider each answer carefully. The penalty for racing through a RETA credentialing exam may be a failing score.

Practice tests also allow candidates to become familiar with how to use onscreen references. Each candidate must know how and when to use the resources RETA provides to help them earn these credentials. There are no shortcuts or substitutes for a candidate’s commitment to prepare. RETA study guides for each test can be downloaded free from the RETA website. Candidates should review study guides carefully. Study guides include all of the documents that appear in the onscreen references for each test. RETA candidates need to be as familiar with the references in their study guides as they should be with manuals for the refrigeration systems they work with and support on the job. Study guides also include guidance to help candidates use these references during a test. Just as candidates must know when to refer to a manual or other resources when a problem occurs on the job, questions on RETA exams do not indicate when a candidate should use information in these onscreen references. RETA exams require that each candidate must decide when to consult these references. For example, each RETA exam includes questions about safety standards and procedures. Answers to many of these questions are in the ammonia Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in the onscreen references for each exam. Candidates often answer enough of these questions incorrectly to cause their failing scores because they do not look for the correct answers in the SDS during the test. Practice Tests and study guides are designed to help candidates earn RETA credentials as part of its mission to promote the health and safety of operators and technicians. We

will continue to create incentives to help all candidates take every opportunity to use these resources effectively. We welcome your questions about RETA’s credentialing exams and activities. Send your questions by email to certification@ reta.com. Dr. Ron Rodgers, RETA’s Psychometrician (testing expert) and Accreditation Manager, has guided development of all RETA credentialing exams since 2002. RETA Testing Corner provides information and answers questions from RETA members, candidates and others to help them earn and benefit from RETA credentials

We welcome your questions about RETA’s credentialing exams and activities. Send your questions by email to certification@reta.com. Dr. Ron Rodgers, RETA’s Psychometrician (testing expert) and Accreditation Manager, has guided development of all RETA credentialing exams since 2002. RETA Testing Corner provides information and answers questions from RETA members, candidates and others to help them earn and benefit from RETA credentials.

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